A Personal Guide to Ibiza

As a new book of photography is published on Ibiza Rocks we asked co-founder DAWN HINDLE to show us some favourite places on the famous Balearic Island… ibizarocks.com

Las Salinas Beach

10km from Ibiza Town

This is the first beach I ever came to in Ibiza when I arrived in 1994 and it’s still one of my favourites. Salinas stretches far and wide. Wander over the low-lying woodland and dunes to discover a series of secret beaches and rocky coves before you finally reach an old watchtower and some old Ibizan beach huts. The bar Sa Trinxa is an old school favourite located right on the seafront; DJ Jon Sa Trinxa plays signature Balearic tunes from his booth in the bar with an outlook onto the sea. Head to the end of the boat jetty and jump straight into the clear waters for a swim or a snorkel to see the fish swimming beneath you. Alternatively, spend a long, lazy day on the beach admiring bronzed bodies, Parisian fashionistas, boho hippies and disrobed Germans.

Croissant Show

Plaça de la Constitució, 2, 07800 Ibiza Town

The after-party crowd have been coming here for years; this sunny spot, located on the cobbled streets at the bottom of the drawbridge up to the old town, is perfect for people watching as you have your first cup of coffee of the day. Croissant Show is run by the gregarious Andre, a character well known across the island. You can’t miss him for his curly, French moustache. I love the brie and tomato toasted baguette and a cortado coffee; it's the perfect start to the morning. Afterwards, you should wander up to the castle and explore the old walled city or discover the vintage shops and boutiques.

Paradise Lost

Carrer del Passadís, 14, 07800 Ibiza Town

The ghetto is where you will find the who's who of local lunatics. If you need respite from the island’s resident djs, this bar has a strict policy on music: no house or techno will be heard here. Instead, reggae dub and soul funk usually drift from the balcony above the cocktail bar where you’ll spy a collection of bespoke glassware and tankards for regulars with their own keys; the cocktail list is full of perilously great drinks. Paradise Lost promises strong liquor, retro cool décor, and a very big hangover...that is, if you make it out the door and home.

Pikes Hotel

Camí Sa Vorera, S/N, 07820 Sant Antoni de Portmany

This is a hotel with rock n roll heritage; famous clients include Grace Jones and Freddie Mercury, whilst Wham's Club Tropicana video was shot on location. Nowadays, you might spot Mark Ronson or Idris Elba hanging by the pool. Party wise, Pikes still instils the Back to Mine club vibe for a guest-list-only crowd. And DJ Harvey plays an eight-hour set until the early hours of every Monday night, August through September. DJs rock the Ibiza party scene. Taxidermy, disco balls, Sunny's bathtub karaoke and more are other joys to be discovered. In the daytime, lounge on a French chateau bench on the terrace and enjoy an espresso martini from the potting shed.

Benirrás Beach

10km from San Miguel in north Ibiza

Northern Ibiza’s original hippy beach. Visit on Sundays when people from all over the island come together to sit and relax, soak up the atmosphere and play the drums at sunset. Get a health kick and order a superfood shot or a cleansing juice at Sejuiced, or kick back with a vino at Elements, a boho beach restaurant where they play sexy deep house. If you have the strength, you can swim out to the pointy rock Cap Bernat, also known as “Finger of God”, its presence stands tall in the middle of the bay.

Kundalini Yoga at Soul Adventures

www.souladventures.co.uk

Trish Whelan is an angel in a turban, an Irish shamanic reiki master, and meditation teacher. Her kundalini yoga sessions take place every Monday morning at 6:30 on an outdoor wooden terrace in the Ibizan hills in the north of the island. Unburden yourself on a healing retreat with private gong healing, shamanic yoga, reiki and a crystal garden. Detox the mind and free the soul. I'm a weekly addict. Kundalini yoga with Trish is my Ibiza drug of choice, or with Senor Kin [pictured]. Connecting to the island and its forces is guaranteed.

Los Enamorados Hotel

103 Calle de Portinatx, 07810 Portinatx

I often escape home for a relaxed lunch with the girls on the waterfront. Los Enamorados offers an eclectic mix of beach food combined with a vintage bazaar in a very romantic setting. Owners, Roze and Pierre (who is an ex-basketball-player), have curated a Euro-Caribbean mix that covers everything from food to soundtrack to decor. The passion shines through. You definitely have to try the ceviche and strong ginger cocktails. It's one of the best relax and chill locations in Ibiza, a true testament to Pierre's credo that “nothing happens in the north of the island”.

La Granja

Carretera Forada a Sant Mateu, KM 1, 07820 Ibiza Town

La Granja is a renovated farmstead among the pines of middle Ibiza, becoming a central meeting point for creative nomads of the island. A members-only agroturismo, it comes with DJ-equipped mezcal bar in the garden beneath the trees. The farmhouse offers guests vinyāsa yoga, nurturing food and psychedelic, electronic house. Mix with the usual Ibizan tribes, soiree with left-field Ibiza and commit to a sort of wholesome hedonism in La Granja’s drinking space.

Meanwhile, Dawn – creative director & co-founder of Ibiza Rocks and co-owner of Pikes Hotel in Ibiza – has co-curated a coffee table book with French photographer Jérôme Ferrière. Also called Ibiza Rocks, the pop culture tome features more than 100 “rebellious, irreverent and iconic images” (it says here) that document in lush black and white a “fresh new generation of live music”. The book also includes original quotes from many of the artists therein. These include Nile Rodgers, Liam Gallagher, Rag N Bone Man, Kylie, The Libertines, Lily Allen, Idris Elba, FatBoy Slim, Boy George and Marky Ramone. Many of the portraits were taken just as the artist came off stage, to capture a feeling of exuberance and adrenaline; Jérôme used a medium format Hasselblad camera – no digital. Dawn says: “We met the French photographer Jérôme Ferrière when we first moved to the island back in the early 1990’s. He was always at the party, drinking, smoking, dancing, talking but observing as only a true artist can. He has always been a part of the Ibiza scene, the colourful French guy that takes incredible photos. The photos in this book are honest, they are real and they convey meaning. Jerome gains the trust of the subject and in return the photographs speak a thousand words. We were inspired by his style, showing understanding of the Island of Ibiza and the sentiment it could give to its subjects that got us started on the documentation of the bands and the DJs that passed though the Ibiza Rocks Hotel doors and onto the Hotel’s stage. This book has been born from a joint love of live music and Rock ‘n’ roll.” Ibiza Rocks is published in June '17, via https://www.rockettstgeorge.co.uk